January 4, 2013 | Democrat & Chronicle

When University of Rochester scientist James McGrath started his career, doing research that would lead to marketable products was not a priority. But the landscape has changed dramatically. Government funding for research has been stagnant for several years. Public and private grants now come with greater demands for results that can help drive profits and economic development. Some venture capital firms are investing less in small early-stage projects.

January 5, 2013 | New York Times

Only five years ago, several giant natural gas import terminals were built to satisfy the energy needs of a country hungry for fuels. But the billion-dollar terminals were obsolete even before the concrete was dry as an unexpected drilling boom in new shale fields from Pennsylvania to Texas produced a glut of cheap domestic natural gas. Now, the same companies that had such high hopes for imports are proposing to salvage those white elephants by spending billions more to convert them into terminals to export some of the nation’s extra gas, ventures that could turn out to be poor investments.

January 5, 2013 | Fortune

The largest issue America will face in 2013 is health care. And it will only get larger. As the national conversation changes, we'll find that by year-end we're talking about it all the time, whether the ostensible topic is politics, government, the economy, our jobs, or our families. Health care will be the unavoidable topic.

January 4, 2013 | Entrepreneur

The year 2013 will be one of climbing out from a long era of darkness for venture capital. After all, you have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a time when VC earned market-beating returns. Here’s how dark things have been. The National Venture Capital Association has made available an analysis by Cambridge Associates of the internal rates of return for the average venture-capital fund that normally has a 10-year life.